Thirteen Years Ago

"What are you waiting for, Reianne? Jump."

Master Shao repeated his instructions for the tenth time that morning. My knees wobbled. My eyes kept darting from the landing spot about three meters away where Master was standing, and the pit in between, about ten feet in depth and which bottom was laden with burning coals.

"I'm...I'm scared."

"You were scared yesterday and the day before that. Each day you didn't jump, I'll widen the gap."

"Please, Master, it's impossible. I can't jump that far." My voice trembled. It was a few days ago when I woke up with no recollection at all. Granma Cerce was very kind to me. In contrast, Granpa Shao seemed abhorred by my very presence. He made it clear that I could stay only if I agreed to be trained by him. Without anywhere else to go, I consented. Hesitantly.

So, from then on, he made me call him Master Shao. We did not train right away, though. Granny Cerce would not let him. She said my injuries had not fully healed yet. I did not remember how I got them, and neither Grandma nor Master would tell me. So, for several days, I stayed inside their small hut, helping with the chores. Then a few days ago, despite Grandma's protests, Master started training me. It was simple at first--the proper stance, exercises, and stretchings, and gradually devolved to painful things, like punching the tree trunk repeatedly until my fists bled. Right now, he wanted me to jump through a burning pit.

"If you can't even jump this far, how can you jump tomorrow, when I would widen it by a meter more?"

"Please, Ma---"

"Jump!"

I started crying. My eyes darted down to the burning coals below and it was as if I could feel them burning my skin. I cringed. My knees and hands were shaking badly. There was no way I could jump through this pit. I just knew I could not. It was just too far.

"What the hell are you crying about?" Master shouted. "Stop that nonsense or I would give you something to cry about!"

My muscles tensed at Master's threat. I did not want to get whipped again. I looked at the pit once more. If I fell, it would be painful, but it wouldn't kill me, right?

"Stop looking at the pit like you're preparing to fall there, Goddamn it! Keep your eyes where you should land!" Master growled. I was really testing his patience.

"Y-yes, Master." I backed up several steps and kept my eyes on the soft spot of earth where I was supposed to plant my feet. The burning coals kept disrupting my attention with their threat of fiery pain. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"I can do this. I can do this. I can do this," I muttered to myself as I dug my toes onto the earth in preparation for a sprint.

Jump!

With a burst of energy, I ran. When I reached the edge I coiled my knees and jumped with everything I got.

And came short by a few inches.

Panic struck me at the realization that my feet would not land on the other side. On instinct, my hand shot out to grab the edge and managed to clutch a handful of slippery earth and a clump of grass.

My hand was slipping fast. My fear-stricken eyes darted to the mocking coals below. With desperation, my other hand tried to get a more secure grip. I did not have the strength to pull myself up, however.

The piece of earth and grass I was holding onto for dear life finally slipped through, the pieces of grass cutting through my delicate palms as they slid away.

For a terrible fraction of a second, I was airborne.

Then a hand clutched my still outstretched arm: Master's.

He pulled me up and I collapsed on the ground a shaking mess, with my hand pressed on my chest. My heart was beating erratically fast from the adrenaline surge and nervousness. I panted as beads of sweat made their way from my forehead down to my chin one after another.

"See it wasn't that hard, was it?" Master patted my shoulder several times.

"I almost died!" I glared at him, who had the tiniest hint of a smile on his face.

"But you didn't."

I huffed.

He snorted.

Master turned and motioned for me to follow him. We walked a good long while before we reached the marketplace with its colorful stalls filled with wares and merchandise. There were a lot of people milling about, too busy with their everyday lives to notice a scruffy little kid and an old man.

"What do you see?" Master asked me, waving at the general direction of the marketplace as he proceeded at one stall selling different meats. He engaged the person manning the stall in a spirited discussion about the quality and price of his product and I watched him haggle to half of its original price. He then looked at me, waiting for my answer to his earlier question.

"Uhm, I-I see a lot of people?" I answered hesitantly. He scoffed. He pointed to several scrawny children with rags for clothes and whose skins were covered with blackened dirt.

"Beggars?"

"Beggars are more fortunate than them. At least beggars don't have any master to answer to."

On cue, I spotted several men standing on street corners, keeping their eyes on the children. On other street corners, I noticed women in bright tiny items of clothing and make-up. It seemed that the men keeping an eye on the children were watching them too. Master Shao noticed them as well and grimaced. He took my shoulders and turned me around away from them.

"I have to be blunt with you. You are one bad decision away from being one of those kids."

I gasped and my eyes widened. "Y-you're not sending me out of your house, are you?" I exclaimed, panic in my voice evident. 

Master snorted, a bit surprised at how I interpreted his statement."Of course not, but we are old, Reianne. We will not always be there for you."

"Then what do you mean? Why did you bring me here?"

Master raised the packaged meat he just bought. "To buy supper, of course."

My brows scrunched up. "Master, you know what I was talking about."

His lips twitched up slightly again. I seemed to be amusing him a lot today. He then sighed after several seconds of contemplation. "Reianne, I do not have much to give you, but I can teach you to fight. Use it to your advantage that you don't end up like them even in our absence."

My head turned to look at the malnourished kids begging for coins from passers-by, practically helpless. I doubt that they get to even benefit from the coins they got. I did not want to be like them. I wanted to be strong. My fist involuntarily tightened as resolution built up in me, my cut palm stinging due to the exertion.

My eyes met Master Shao's and I gave him my slightest nod.

My eyes opened a fraction and registered a dimly lit room I recognized. I was lying on a soft, plush bed which contrasted sharply with how cold and uncomfortable I was feeling at the moment. I was very weak that I could barely move. My sore muscles strained and ached at the slightest movement.

The past several hours had been a haze of confusion. My last lucid recollection had been the portable jammer I located at one of the pockets of the blonde girl just before I passed out from exhaustion and pain. With agonized movements, I surreptitiously turned it off for a few seconds before turning it back on again, hoping that it was enough for Gio to locate me. I could not risk a longer time because it might alert my captors' attention, and they might move me again.

When I saw some of Musa's men talking on their radios, I realized that the signal jammer did not have any effect on them. It only meant that the jammer had a very limited range. The fact that I was moving from one room to another hinted that the portable jammer was with either one of the girls. After that, I just had to let the thief in me take over.

Slowly, the memory with Master Shao returned to my mind. He phrased it differently at that time because of my age. However, as I grew older, I realized what he was really telling me that day: Arm yourself with valuable skills, or you will become everybody's whore. He wasn't just referring to those grubby street kids. He was also afraid that without him and Grandma Cerce, I would become like those women in colorful clothes that barely covered their essential bits. I had seen that happened to other girls. Several times, in fact. The street was a monster who ate helpless children for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and girls had it the worst. This was also why I chose a male persona for the Reaper.

For years I had strived to survive on my own terms. Even as part of Hugo's band of street urchins, with the skills Master Shao imparted to me, I managed not to let the stink of the street get to me. Not every girl was as fortunate as me, however. Many of them ended up dead, or worse, as part of Hugo's human trafficking chain.

I felt consciousness slipping once again just as I heard the door creaked open.

I let out a bitter smile. The street took its time, but it did have me in the end.

"The... the auction is today?" Anton finally broke the awful silence permeating the hallway. His face mirrored the faces of the rest of Gio's men--pale and utterly flabbergasted.

"That's the worst-case scenario, but I am sure it's not three days from now as Ran said," Gio explained with forced calmness.

"We do not have the time!" one of the men uttered.

"Obvio--" Gio's sarcastic reply was cut short when his phone beeped with an incoming message from Quin. He opened it and hissed. It was a blind item in a newspaper accusing a business tycoon of harboring the Reaper. The article speculated that the tycoon used the Reaper for corporate sabotage, stealing company secrets and trademarks. The article did not name him, but from the description given, anyone with common sense could pinpoint that the tycoon referred to was no other than Gio Lee. Moreover, the article accused the tycoon's wife as the Reaper. He shoved the phone back to his pockets. He had to focus on one problem at a time.

"Anton, who is manning the tracker?"

"N-no one."

With a curse, Gio turned around abruptly. His long strides outpaced that of his secretary and his men. Nevertheless, he felt that he was still moving too slowly than what the situation demanded. He reached the main control room and went straight for the tracker.

With a burst of excitement, he noticed the log notification containing the location identified earlier.

With speed, he manipulated the controls.

"Do we have her location?" Anton asked hesitantly. It was also probable that Musa was playing another mind game with them, though he fervently prayed that it was not the case.

"I hope so," Gio replied silently. "This point here, it's Hugo's Mansion, isn't it?"

Anton looked at where Gio pointed at the map. "Yes."

Hope swelled in each of the men's faces. There might still be time to rescue Reianne. Several men were already stationed near Hugo's Mansion as a precaution.  Gio knew, however, that breaking into Hugo's Mansion was not an easy task to do, especially if a highly illegal auction was taking place. The perimeter would be manned like a fort.

Another of Gio's men entered the room. "Sir, we found someone lurking outside the building. He said he wanted to talk to you."

"Not now," Gio hissed, dismissing his man effectively. Gio's mind was racing with possibilities. He could not afford to be sidetracked at the moment. If only he had the blueprint of Hugo's Mansion, he could make a better plan to save Reianne. Going in blind would be disastrous.

His thoughts were cut short by the sudden commotion just outside of the control room, followed by the heavy double doors bursting open.

"I said let me go! I know where she is!"

Gio's head turned to the intruder. "Gab?"

Gab nodded at Gio, his face serious and solemn. "We have to move fast. The auction has begun."

Ten minutes had not passed before Gio's party careened down the main avenue towards Hugo's Mansion, with Anton making all the necessary phone calls.

"They will all meet us there," he reported after he hung up his phone. He then grabbed the car handle to keep himself from being thrown off his seat as Gio made a sharp turn. His boss was driving like a demon-possessed madman. He booked a luxury car repair service for the next day like a good secretary he was.

"When did the auction start?" Gio's voice competed with the roar of the car engine.

"About ten minutes ago. I went to your building as soon as I knew what they planned to do." Gab was seated at the backseat, nervously looking at his watch. "It will take us about twenty minutes to get to the Mansion. After that, I can bring you and your men inside. I know the hidden pathways. I do not know which room they put her in, though. After the incident, Musa's men took charge of the Mansion. We barely know anything that is happening except what they choose to tell us."

Gio sped up the car. They did not have twenty minutes to spare. Anton knew Gio would do everything in this power to get there in ten minutes, the world be damned.

Gio surveyed the men gathered inside one of the biggest rooms of Hugo's Mansion. He knew most of them from the business community. He made sure to memorize all of the names of everyone who participated in this despicable event.

It wasn't hard for him to enter the auction. After all, he planned to participate. One of the businessmen, a CEO of a construction company that was months away from bankruptcy, noticed him standing at the back. He whispered something to his companion who likewise looked at his direction and grinned. It wasn't long before the entire room got wind of Gio's presence in the auction.

Gio's glacial features hardened some more. It would take some time, but he will bring down everyone in this room for even looking at his wife.

One of the men approached him. He was a known gambler and smuggler in the underground. He was already drunk.

"Did the Reaper robbed you too? Who would have thought that the Reaper is a woman, eh?"

Gio did not deign his statements worthy of a reply. 

The man continued with his tirade, however. "That bitch robbed me once and caused me trouble with the mafia. I don't even have the money to participate in this auction. I just want to see her suffer. Ha!" The man snorted, then vomited the contents of his stomach when Gio punched his gut. No one paid them any mind, as everyone was busy with their own small talks. Occasionally, a head would turn towards Gio's direction as if making sure he was indeed there in the flesh.

The man coughed and spat. "You bastard. What was that for?"

"Get out of my face."

"Ha! I get it. You can't wait for your turn. Too much testosterone running in your blood eh? Well, you gotta wait some more before the next round."

Gio's attention zeroed in on the man. "Next round?"

"Yeah. Don't you know? Someone won the first round of bidding. He already went in."

Gio muttered a string of curses and punch the guy again in the face, for lack of a better person to batter with. From the corner of his eyes, he spotted Ran on a corner sipping wine as another went up the podium.

Ran scanned the crowd, his face bore the mark which Rei put there. His eyes instantly found Gio's. He beamed Gio a smile and raised his glass in greeting just as the second round of bidding was announced. 

I woke up when I felt a hand on me and was met with a grinning familiar face of a man. Recognition flashed in my mind as my memory matched the face with one of my robbery victims a few years back. I stole a priceless heirloom from this person at the request of another. Panicked, I tried to move and realized that my hands were tied behind my back. They must have tied my hands when I fell unconscious earlier.

The man's hand traced the mark below my neck. "I will never forget this mark," he said as his grin widened. I felt his hands on my body and I cringed in disgust.

"Get away from me!"

He held me down. I felt his lips on my neck and I screamed.

"Get off!"

I twisted my body away. I tried to wriggle out of his grasp. He raised his head momentarily and I took the opportunity and headbutted him. He clutched his forehead in pain. Moments later, his heavy hand swung and hit my face, making stars danced in front of my eyes.

"Bitch. Stay still!"

I felt him move his body on top of me, placing my legs on either side of him.

No. Hell, no.

"Get the fuck off!" I screamed.

He only chuckled in reply and pinned me with his weight. He grabbed the flimsy clothing they put me in and tugged.

Panicked, I maneuvered both my legs on the tiny space between us and kicked him in the chest with all my might. He was caught off guard as he was flung off me. I twisted my body to get up and kicked him again. My next kick broke his neck.

I collapsed on my knees, panting as my muscles jerked in painful spasms.  

The doors swung open and I was met with the widened eyes of the blonde woman. The next moment, she fired a taser gun at me and everything went black.

When I was conscious again, I realized that my feet, like my hands, were also tied down. I was likewise blindfolded. They were no longer taking any chances. My heart sank down to my stomach when I realized that whoever was coming through that door next would have his way, and I was utterly powerless to prevent it.

Tears started to pool on my eyelids, drenching my blindfold. That one feeling I thought I left with the sniveling little girl thirteen years ago came back at me with a vengeance: fear.

I am afraid.

I had not been afraid for a good long while. At least, not this kind of crippling fear. The kind of fear you had when a hideous monster was right in your face staring at your very soul, and you had nothing left in you but that awful feeling of dread tying your feet where you stand and stealing your voice that you cannot even utter a scream. The kind of fear that allowed nothing else but the tremors of your muscles as you await what was coming.

I stifled a sob. I had fought for so long and so hard only to be met with the same fate I had run from all those years ago. It was all for nothing.

The dread I was feeling intensified as I heard the door creaked open. My mouth went dry. Footsteps echoed throughout the silent room. Moments later, my blindfold was removed. It took a while before my blurred eyesight refocused on dark obsidian eyes.

Gio's.

He quickly loosened the bindings on my feet and collected me in his arms. His hands reached for my tied hands and removed the rope on my wrists. He hugged me tight once I was finally free from the ropes. It hurt my already aching muscles but I paid it no mind. More tears escaped my eyes as I sobbed on his chest.

"I'm sorry it took me so long."

My only answer was more sobbing. I couldn't form words. It was too much. Not one word could come close to how I was feeling at that moment. 

"Onee-chan."

I abruptly turned towards the source of the sound.

"Quin."

I was enveloped once again by a pair of warm hands. "I'm so sorry, Onee. It was my fault." Quin sobbed too. With my one hand, I hugged her to me too. My other hand refused to let go of Gio, afraid that he might vanish.

"Shush. It was not your fault. And it doesn't matter now. You're here."

Quin moved away from my hug to take a good look at me. Her brows scrunched up and her hands formed into fists as she saw my swollen cheeks and other injuries which the concealer and make-up were not able to hide. "What have they done to you?" Her eyes turned watery in an instant. She saw my wrists and gasped. "What the hell?!" I'll kill them. I'll kill them all!" Quin's face became red with rage. Her hand clutched the gun on her hips. Only Gio's hand restrained her from going outside the room to go on a killing spree.

"We will, Quin. Trust me. But first, do what you're here to do."

I knew what Gio meant. He wanted Quin to transfer some of her energy to me. I would not allow it. I could not allow Quin to waste her precious life energy on me when she could barely replenish it.

"No, wait. I'm fine."

"Hush." Quin took a wrapped material from her pocket. It was an energy sphere. She raised her other hand, palms up. "Watch this, Onee-chan. I've been practicing with this thing."

Her upturned hand glowed, faintly at first then gradually glowed brighter. She then placed the death ball into her palms, which reacted with her energy on contact. It pulsated with energy and vibrated. Moments later, its blue hue turned into red, then iridescent gold. Quin's free hand gently touched my injured wrists. Warm energy coursed through me. It was especially warm, hot even, on my wrists. After a while, the death ball dimmed and turned black. My wrists were healed, though the skin around it still looked a little red and swollen.

"That's all I got for now. You would have to heal the old-fashioned way with your other injuries."

"Thanks, Quin. That's all I really need." I smiled at her.

"What is taking you so long?" The grumpy voice that I had not heard for a while reached my ears. My eyes met his wrinkled ones.

"Master."

We made our way out of the room and into the hallway. Below, I could hear occasional gunshots blaring. We navigated Hugo's Mansion with me as the guide. 

"Did you bring in your private army?" I asked Gio.

"Yes, but that is probably Michael and his men."

"Oh wow. He is here too?" 

Gio nodded. If Michael was involved, it means that the police would soon be here. I felt more jittery. As much as I wanted Hugo to be behind bars, I was still allergic to police presence.  

"Hurry! And keep it down!" Master Shao whispered at us.

I lowered my voice. "How did you get into my room? Did you bid?"

"Yes. Now, shush."

I gasped. "How much?! That's such a waste of money!"

Gio looked at me and frowned. "I guess I miss that about you. I didn't win. Ran wouldn't let me. I just bid until my men located you. After that, I had them dispose of the person who won and got you out.

Several of Ran's men spotted us. They raised their guns at us. I tensed. Although my wrists are healed, my other injuries were still there. I wouldn't be able to fight them off.

"Shit."

Several shots rang out. All of them fell one by one.

My head turned instinctively to the source of the gunshot. Quin had her guns raised, on her face was etched a seriousness I had not yet seen.

"Are we supposed to go this way? Let's go then." With the smoking gun clutched tightly in her hand she strode off into the hallway where the men came from.

"Remind me not anger Quin. She is scary," I told Gio after I recovered my senses. Gio nodded.

Master Shao followed Quin and motioned for us to move as well. More of Ran's men greeted Quin and Master Shao with bullet shots as they entered the hallway. Quin's gun blared in return.

"Wait! I need to do something!" I pulled Gio back. Limping, I returned to the room I was held in. Ran, perhaps to be quite symbolic, had placed me in my assigned room in Hugo's Mansion. My hands searched through the mattress until I found the thing I was looking for--a flashdrive that I kept hidden there for this very occasion.

"What are you doing?" Gio looked over my shoulder at the flashdrive I was holding.

"Retribution." I smirked.

Several moments later, we were able to sneak inside Hugo's study. I took out his laptop from under this desk drawer. With ease, I opened it and inserted the flash drive.

"Will Quin be okay?" I asked Gio. I knew Master would not let anything happen to her, but I was still worried.

"I think you should be asking about Ran's men's welfare."

"Huh. She's quite deadly, isn't she?"

Gio nodded. "You have no idea. What do you have in there anyway? You know how to hack too?"

"Nope," I said as I moved my head from side to side in denial. "I won this flash drive in a bet with the best hacker in town a few years back."

The program ran for several minutes. More guns blared outside and they were making me antsy and impatient. Ran's men could come through those doors anytime.

If I could will the program to go faster, I would have already. My fingers drummed on the desk in nervous anticipation. Even Gio was getting impatient, if that twitchy finger mindlessly tracing the handle of his gun was any indication.

After a good long while, the program finished. One of the prompts requested for Hugo's fingerprint.

Gio looked at me, his forehead creasing. "Uh, we don't have Hugo's prints."

I smirked at him. "Of course we do." I raised my thumb to him. "It's right here."

A look of puzzlement crossed Gio's features. "Huh?"

"I had them printed and attached to my thumb."

"Where did you get it?"

"On Hugo's whiskey glass."

"Huh?"

"Long story. Will tell you later."

We were about to leave the room when Musa's men strode in. Gio punched the first guy who charged in the neck. I kicked the second one in the nuts. Gio shot the rest right on their heads.

We ran towards the back of the Mansion where some of Gio's men were waiting. They had disabled the power electrifying the fence, and we could all scaled the wall with their help.

"The police is arriving soon. We should get out of here before they come. Otherwise, it would be very difficult to explain what I am doing at the auction. It will also complicate things if they find you here," Gio explained as we made our way towards the back. I did not have to be convinced more. I doubled my pace until we reached the back of the Mansion. Master Shao and Quin were already there when we arrived.

"Hurry! What took you so long?!" Master Shao practically shouted at us. He ushered us into the walls where Gio's men helped Quin climb to the other side. I was surprised at the ease she scaled it with. I was about to go next when gunshots blared once more. I looked back, and my eyes widened in shock.

Master Shao's body crumpled to the ground, his blood staining the grass-covered earth.

"No!" I ran towards him, completely unaware of the gun pointed directly at me.

Another crack of the bullet echoed in the night. Followed by another, and another. They all went unnoticed by me, however. They only registered very dimly in my ears. All my senses were focused on the elderly man lying prone on the ground. The man who taught me how to be strong. The man who made me who I was today. He seemed to age by another ten years as the light faded from his eyes.

My hands reached out to him, but it was already too late. I vaguely felt the hands holding me back. I didn't mind them. I didn't care that bullets were raining down everywhere around me. It didn't matter that several found their way into my flesh. I want to hold him even if just for the last time.

Strong arms clutched me by my waist and dragged me away. Fingers pressed firmly on that point below my ear and I blacked out.

A moment of silence for Master Shao. You shall be missed. I actually cried grumpy tears at your passing. *sighs*

Who remembered the whiskey glass? 

P. S. Hey,  now that you've finished these madafaking stressful chapters,  why don't you head over my profile and read A Fight Before Christmas for a quick comedic break?  Do that before diving in the drama again. It's your reward for finishing the chapters.  XD

Muahugs,

RF

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